The Supreme Court determined that the Attorney General acted within his legal authority, citing strong legislative support and financial backing from the state. Two key developments bolstered the AG’s case: the state legislature’s enactment of Chapter 94, which explicitly authorized the intervention and was made retroactive to March 2023, and the allocation of $10 million in the 2024 state budget for expenses related to Paterson’s police oversight.
Justice Anne M. Patterson, writing for the court, emphasized that while the Attorney General’s powers are not unlimited, the specific legislative actions taken by the state government clearly ratified the takeover. “The Legislature’s passage of Chapter 94 and its substantial appropriation demonstrate an unmistakable endorsement of the Attorney General’s intervention in Paterson’s police department,” she wrote.
The court’s decision reverses a 2024 appellate ruling that found the Attorney General lacked the statutory authority for such a sweeping move. That earlier ruling, which had declared the takeover unconstitutional, was put on hold pending the outcome of this appeal.
Attorney General Platkin hailed the decision as a victory for public safety and accountability. “This ruling affirms our commitment to ensuring all New Jersey residents, regardless of where they live, are protected by fair, effective, and accountable law enforcement,” he said in a statement following the court’s opinion.
Meanwhile, critics of the decision warn of the potential for overreach. Local officials in Paterson argue that the takeover undermined democratic control and marginalized community voices in favor of centralized authority. They’re concerned that this sets a dangerous precedent where the state can simply override local leadership under the guise of reform.
